Finally Realized
by KefGurl47
Summary: After Tony has a near death experience, is Ziva finally ready to admit her feelings not only to him, but to herself? What happens if she is too late? TIVA
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **

**This is my first fanfiction story. I got the inspiration for this story from 'Wake Up Call,' by Megz & Tori which I read the other night. I would love for you to read and review and let me know what I am doing right and what I can work on. I have most of the story written, and am just ironing out the details. I hope there is interest in this story for me to continue! Thanks :)**

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"Ziva, you should really watch this movie. You would love it. She is a ninja assassin, just like you. She has some awesome moves and is super hot."

Tony had been going on all morning about how amazing _Salt_ was. Ziva did not want to hear it right now.

"Pleeeeeaaaasssseeeee, Ziva! With a cherry on top."

"Tony, please shut up, before I make you." She was trying to finish the last chapter in her novel before Gibbs arrived. Tony's constant annoyance was only making her agitated.

"McGee, have you seen _Salt_? With Angelina Jolie?"

"Actually, I have. It's pretty good. I saw it with Abby a couple years ago when it was in theaters."

"See, Ziva. Even Probie has seen it. Please just give it a chance."

"Why would I want to watch a movie about _Salt_, Tony? What is the point?"

Ziva lifted her eyes back up to her book as Tony tried to explain that the movie wasn't about 'salt,' as in the white stuff you put on food, but a bad ass assassin named Evelyn Salt. Ziva was not listening. Tony just continued to stare at Ziva as she was reading the last few pages of her novel.

Gibbs arrived in the squad room about thirty seconds after, "Tony, why are you staring at Ziva. Work on something." "Good morning, boss. Right, getting on that."

Ziva put her book in her desk and smirked at Tony before Gibbs had a chance to say anything else. Tony just smirked back, thinking _how can I get her to watch this movie, she would love it._

"Morning, boss," McGee commented as Gibbs sat down at his desk. As if on cue, Gibbs' phone rang, alerting the team that they most likely had a case. Everyone looked up, waiting for their signal to get up and go.

"Gear up. Dead Marine in Allendale." Gibbs tosses the keys to McGee as he grabs his bag and heads towards the elevator. His team is not far behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: ...they are not mine.**

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When the NCIS team arrived at the scene of the crime, they found that the body of a Marine was lying in a ditch on the side of the road with a trash bag covering his head. As Tony snapped pictures, Ziva went to talk to the women that found the Marines body."

"I was going for a morning jog, just like I do every day, and...there he was. I screamed, loud. That is when he drove by," the lady, Mrs. Tamara Rayne said while pointing to the young man, Mr. Thomas Sullivan, standing by his motorcycle, "and stopped. He is the one that called the police." Ziva wrote a few things down before going to check in with Gibbs.

"What do we have, Ducky?"

"Four bullet holes, looks like a fatal one hit him right through the heart. The trash bag and marks around his hands indicate that his attacker did not want to look him in the face when killing him. This young man was tied up somewhere with a trash bag around his head, and shot four times before transferred to this ditch."

"Time of death?"

"About 9 hours ago."

"Thanks, Ducky. McGee, ID?"

"Marine Captain Conner O'Neal. Lives just three miles from here, boss. He has a picture of what appears to be his pregnant wife and young daughter in his wallet."

"All right. McGee, you're with me. Tony, Ziva, go back and see what you can dig up on our Captain. Phone records, credit cards, background check; anything that will tell us what this young man got himself into."

"Yes, boss," they replied in unison.

As Tony and Ziva went back to see what they could dig up, Gibbs and McGee went to talk to his wife.

* * *

"Are you Mrs. O'Neal?"

"Yes, my name is Kelsey, what's wrong? Where is Conner? He never came home last night. I thought he would have crashed at his brother's place but no one has seen him and he isn't answering his phone…."

"Ma'am. I'm sorry, but Conner was found dead three miles from here in a ditch."

The young wife, who was six months pregnant, was instantly brought to tears as her young daughter, Riley who was only about four years old, came running down the stairs. "What's wrong, Mommy? Where is daddy?" The young mother just held her daughter in her arms.

After Kelsey had laid Riley down on the couch watching TV, she sat at her kitchen table answering questions about her husband to the two agents.

"When was the last time you saw your husband?"

"Last night. He said he was going out to a bar with his brother, Logan, brother in law, Alex, and some buddies of theirs and he was most likely going to crash at his brother's house. They were really close. He said he loved me, kissed my stomach and left. I can't believe he's gone." She let a few more tears roll down her cheeks. McGee quietly handed her some tissues.

"Was Conner involved in anything illegal? Drugs?"

"No. Conner would never do any of that. He is, I mean was, a family man. He rarely went out. He wanted to stay home and be with Riley and me. Now Levi will never know his father. What happened to him? Why? How?"

"He was shot four times. Mrs. O'Neal, can you think of anyone who would have wanted to hurt your husband? Any old grudges?"

"No, we were high school sweethearts. We got married right after high school before he joined the Marines. He wanted his father to be proud of him, follow in his footsteps and carry on the family tradition. I could not think of anyone would did not love him." She cried a little more before the agents decided to leave her to grieve alone. Before leaving Gibbs said, "We'll be in touch. Again, we're sorry for your loss."

"Please, just catch the awful person who did this to my family."

With that the two agents left.

* * *

The elevator opened announcing the arrival of Gibbs and McGee.

"DiNozzo, David, what did you find?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, boss. Our Captain here was as good as they come. Top of his graduating class. Served one term in Iraq and was set to go out again in nine months."

"Tony, take Ziva and go talk to the sister and brother in law. See if they can give any insight. McGee, get the brother in here and then go see if Abby has anything."

"Yes, boss."

Tony and Ziva arrived at the sister, Peyton and brother in law, Alex's house. They did not live far from the O'Neals.

Ziva jumped out of the car, immediately getting a feeling that something was off.

"Tony, be careful. Something doesn't feel right."

"Getting a gut feeling, Ziva?"

She just glared at him as they approached the front door. They got no answer. They moved around to the backside of the house, quietly and carefully, one on each side, not wanting to alarm anyone that may be there.

Just as they rounded the corner of the backside of the house, shots rang out. A man was standing at the back door, which was partially open, gun in hand.

"NCIS! Put your weapon down." the female agent shouted. The gunman did not stop. Ziva fired back hitting him once in the arm and once in the leg. It was not until she moved towards her target that she noticed her partner was stumbling to the ground, blood seeping through his shirt.

"Tony! Tony, are you ok?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: ...they are not mine.**

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As she ran over towards him he fell to the ground, his breathing becoming shallow. Knowing there was no way the gunman was able to move, she dialed 911 while kneeling over her partner pressing on his wound as hard as she could to minimize the bleeding. When she hung up, she placed her other hand on his cheek before moving it to apply more pressure to his wound.

"Tony, stay with me, please. You can not leave me. Do you understand? I need you to breath. Keep your eyes open, Tony. Come on."

She pleaded and let a few tears fall onto his face. She heard sirens getting closer and once they arrived she was pulled off of her partner. She picked her phone up off of the ground and called her boss.

"Ziva, what have you got?"

"Gibbs…" the tone of her voice was enough for Gibbs to know that something was wrong.

"Ziva, talk to me. What happened? Are you two ok?"

"No, Tony, he's….shot. In the chest. Gibbs, it does not look good. The paramedics are taking him right now, I am going with them."

"Go, Ziva, we'll be right there. And Ziva…"

"Yes?"

"Stay strong for him, ok?"

"Yes, boss."

Ziva hung up her phone and followed the paramedics to the ambulance. She got into the ambulance with the paramedics and Tony before they were rushed off.

Once they arrived, Tony was taken back to surgery immediately. Leaving Ziva with more questions than she had answers.

"Ziva, where is he?"

"Surgery. I do not have answers. And this nurse will not tell me anything."

"Don't worry, Ziva. He'll be fine."

"How do you know,McGee? You did not see him lying there on the ground bleeding. He was shot. In the chest. If only I would have shot sooner, Tony would not be fighing for his life right now."

"Ziva, this is NOT your fault. Do you understand me."

"But Gibbs,…"

"No, you are not the one that put that bullet through DiNozzo. It is not your fault."

Ziva did not feel like putting up a fight right now. She sat down, defeated. There was nothing she could do at the moment to make anything any better.

"Where did they take Alex O'Neal?"

"No idea. She would not tell me that either. It probably did not help that I threatened to kill him several times."

Gibbs let out a slight laugh before going to ask the nurse where Alex was located.

"Room 134, but sir, he is sleeping right now. He was shot twice, once in the arm and once in the leg. He is on a lot of pain meds right now."

"McGee, let's go wake him up."

"He does not deserve pain meds. He should be dead." Ziva yelled.

"Ma'am, please, quiet down."

Gibbs thought to himself, _well that was the wrong thing to say._

"Calm down. You expect me to calm down when my partner and best friend is in that operating room right fighting for his life and you will not tell me anything about his condition. AND you are treating mister O'Neal as if he has been through hell today. He SHOT my partner. If he did not open fire when we came to ask him some questions about his brother in law, who he probably killed too, then we would not be here. Tony would not have been shot. So how dare you tell me to calm down."

Gibbs had a small smile on his face, "You said room 134?"

"Yes, sir" the nurse replied quietly before sitting back down behind the counter.

McGee followed Gibbs to go and talk to O'Neal while Ziva sat back down and placed her head in her hands.

Ziva's thoughts were running a mile per minute.

_What if he does not make it? He is my best friend, I could not live without him. I should have acted quicker. I knew something was up. Why did I not already have my gun out? _

In room 134, a younger women was sitting in a chair next to her husbands bedside. He was sleeping peacefully, or so it seemed, when Gibbs and McGee entered the room.

"Are you Peyton O'Neal?"

"Yes, what happened? How was my husband shot? Does it have to deal with Conner's death? Because Kelsey called me and…."

"Ma'am, please. Your husband opened fired when my agents went to your house to ask questions about Conner O'Neal. One of my agents was hit in the chest and is currently in surgery fighting for his life."

"Oh my God."

"Would you please go get some coffee while we wake up your husband to talk to him."

She exited without saying a word.

After many tries, they finally found a way to wake Mr. O'Neal up. Once he was aware of where he was, Gibbs began speaking.

"Why the hell did you open fire on my agents?"

"I did not know who they were. I was protecting myself. They broke into my fence. It was self defence."

"They announced themselves. So I will ask you again, WHY DID YOU SHOOT AT THEM?" Gibbs was pissed.

"I did not hear them. I saw the man reach for a gun, I shot. That is when the chick shot me, twice."

"You're lucky she did not aim for your head or your heart."

"She probably was. Bad aim I guess. Not my fault she missed."

"You don't know her, if she wanted to kill you right then and there, you would be in a morgue and not in the hospital. Do you understand me."

"Whatever."

Alex was in pain and did not want to defend himself right now. Gibbs knew he had something to hide.

"I want a lawyer before I say anything else to any of you.

With that Gibbs and McGee left the room. They found Ziva with her head in her hands, slightly sobbing.

"Ziva, will you be ok if we go back?"

"Yes, I am fine." She said wiping the tears off of her face.

"Ziva..."

"I said I am fine, Gibbs."

"Call us as soon as you hear anything."

"I will, if they ever decide to tell me something." Ziva replied sarcastically

"They will."

Gibbs gave her a little smile and a shoulder squeeze before he and McGee walked out through the doors.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows! I have this story just about finished, so expect updates every day! Hope you continue to enjoy the story! Don't forget to review, please :) **

**Disclaimer: ...they are not mine.**

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"McGee!" Abby ran to him and jumped in his arms as soon as he walked through the door to her lab.

"What happened? Is Tony ok?"

McGee was quick to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. He had to admit to himself, because he would not show his fear in front of others, especially Abby, but he was afraid; afraid that Tony would not survive.

"He and Ziva went to ask a few questions to our victims brother in law when he opened fire on them. Ziva shot him in the arm and leg, but Tony took a round to the chest. He is in surgery right now. Ziva said she would call when she gets an update."

"How is Ziva?" Abby asked.

"Upset. Angry. Pissed off. And scared. She's really scared, Abby. I've never seen Ziva this way. She has herself convinced that it was her fault, even though Gibbs ordered her not to think that way."

"Oh my God. Poor Ziva. I want to go to the hospital, Timmy."

"First, what do you have on our dead Marine?"

"Not much. I matched the gun and casings they found at the scene as the murder weapon. It was wiped clean for prints, but the gun belonged to Alex O'Neal."

"That's the brother in law, the guy that shot Tony."

"I already told this to Gibbs. Did he not tell you?"

"Yea, I just wanted to come down and see you. See how you were holding up."

"Aw, Tim," Abby said as she wrapped her arms around him again, adding a quick peck to his cheek, "you're so sweet."

* * *

Back at the hospital Ziva was going insane. Tony had been in surgery for five hours and she still knew nothing. She switched between pacing, crying, and yelling at the nurse to get her information.

"Ma'am, we have information on Special Agent DiNozzo now, if you would still like to know…" the nurse proceeded towards the Israeli with extreme caution.

"It is about time."

"Agent DiNozzo was shot in the chest, to the left of the heart. He flat lined twice during surgery…"

Ziva gasped as she tried to hold back tears.

"…but the doctors have now removed the bullet and managed to get him back both times he flat lined. However, they had to medically induce him into coma. It is still unsure as to when he will wake up. It can be anywhere between 24 hours to two full weeks."

"When can I see him?"

"I can take you back to ICU right now if you would like."

"Yes, let me make a quick call down here first."

The nurse takes a breath, finally, and retreats back behind the nurse's station. Ziva grabs her phone out of her pocket and presses '3,' dialing Gibbs.

After explaining Tony's condition to her boss and assuring him that she would be fine, Ziva allowed the nurse to take her to the third floor of the hospital and into the ICU where Tony was located.

"Thank you." Was the only response that Ziva could come up with in the moment.

As she entered the room, she was scared. She did not know what to expect. _Would he look the same? How many machines was he hooked up on? Does he remember anything that happened?_

She laid eyes on her partner for the first time after the incident. He looked like he was sleeping, except he had a large bandage over his chest and was hooked up to several different machines all monitoring his condition. She walked over to the far side of the room and pulled a chair over to the side of his bed.

"Tony…." She did not know what else to say. _What do you say to someone who cannot hear you? Can he me?_ Thoughts were swirling around her brain. She simply took his hand, the one without the IV, and placed a small kiss to it.

"I'm so sorry Tony. I should have shot quicker. I knew something…something smelled like fish." She knew she did not have the right saying, but she could not think of what it was. A part of her hoped that Tony would speak up and tell her that she was wrong, but that was not the case.

Seeing him like this, unresponsive, quiet, all bandaged up, it had an effect on her. Stronger than she thought it would. Tony was her best friend, her partner, the person she trusted with her life, yet she had failed him. She was supposed to have his back and she let him get shot. She did not even noticed until after it had already happened. What kind of friend, partner, was she?

Ziva began to cry again. This time she did not try to hide her tears. She reluctantly let go of Tony's hand before grabbing some tissues as a knock came at the door. Just then Gibbs walked in.

"Ziva, go home. Take a shower, get some food. He'll be here when you come back."

"I am sorry Gibbs. I will not. I am staying right here."

Gibbs did not argue with her, just nodded his head and sat at the opposite side of the bed.

"The gun that shot Tony was the same gun that killed our Marine. It belonged to the brother in law."

"That is why he shot at us. He is our killer."

"Looks that way. I got a hold of DiNozzo, Senior."

"Yes?"

"He is in Europe and all the flights have been delayed due to weather. He said he will be on the first on to Washington D.C."

"Good. He should be here."

"Ziva, he is going to be ok."

"I hope so."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: ****Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I hope that you are liking this story! Please review and let me know what you think :)**

**Disclaimer: ...they are not mine.**

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Gibbs got a text from McGee saying that him and Abby were on their way. Gibbs texted him the room number and told them to come straight up for about an hour. He would pull Ziva away.

"Ziva, let's go get some food. Abby and McGee are here and as you know, only two are allowed up in the ICU room at a time."

Ziva understood that her friends would want to see Tony, so as much as she did not want to, she gently placed his hand back on the bed and followed Gibbs out and down to the cafeteria.

Abby held onto McGee's hand as they entered Tony's room.

"Oh my God, poor Tony." Abby let go of McGee to go give her friend a gentle kiss on the forehead.

McGee stayed strong on the outside, but on the inside he was torn up. This was his best friend. As much as they poked fun at each other, there was no one else other than Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs that he trusted with his life. It hurt him seeing his friend in the hospital bed, so helpless.

"McGee. Say something to Tony."

"Why Abby? He is in a coma. He can't hear us."

"Did you know that studies have been done proving that some coma patients can hear and remember stuff that is told to them while they are in a coma? They just cannot respond. So please, McGee. Say something."

"Get better, Tony." It was all he could think to say. After a few minutes of silence, Abby gave Tony another gentle kiss to the forehead before heading out of the room. They found Ziva and Gibbs sitting in the cafeteria.

Ziva was picking at her food. She was not hungry.

"Ziva!"

Ziva knew that voice anywhere. It was none other than Abby.

Abby ran and hugged her friend tightly. Ziva gently hugged her back.

"Are you ok, Ziva? Of course you're not. What am I saying? I'm so sorry Ziva."

"It is ok, Abby. I am fine." Abby just nodded her head, seeing straight through Ziva's lies, but she knew that her friend did not want to argue right now.

The four of them made small talk and ate their meals.

"Excuse me. I am going back up to Tony's room. Text me if you need me for anything."

"Ziva?"

"Yes, Gibbs."

"We don't need you for anything anytime soon. Stay with your partner. I will have Abby bring you some stuff later on tonight."

With a soft smile, Ziva replied, "Thank you," and proceeded to head towards Tony's room.

"I'm worried about her, Gibbs. I've never seen Ziva so upset." McGee was sincerely worried about his friend.

"The man she loves is lying in a hospital bed with a gunshot wound to the chest, McGee. How do you expect her to feel?" Abby said, before thinking.

"What, Abby? The man she loves?"

"Oops, I mean….her partner." Abby tried to back track, realizing that Gibbs was sitting with them.

"Really, McGee. You honestly can't see that they clearly love each other. I'm not as blind as you think."

Gibbs' response made Abby smiled and McGee was now even more confused than he was thirty seconds ago.

Ziva quickly and quietly headed back to Tony's room. She did not want to be away from him, even though she knew that he would not wake up for at least another 18 hours, maybe even longer.

She entered the room to see that nothing but a new bag of fluids has changed. She sat down in her chair and put her hand in his. She wanted to touch him. She needed confirmation that he was alive. The warmth of her hand in his was enough for her at the moment. It had only been a little over twelve hours since he was shot. She has gone weeks, even months without hearing his voice, but right now she wanted nothing more than to hear him speak.

escaped out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She could think of nothing else to do but to talk to him. That is what he would do if their roles were reversed, which she wishes they were.

"Tony, do you remember the time in the elevator, during the 'War Game?' You said that you were pissed, that you hated the politics of our job. Then you said that you were sick of pretending. And I told you that I was too. I was not talking about our job, Tony. I was talking about us. I am sick of pretending that there is nothing. It has taken you almost being gone from my life completely for me to realize how much I care about you, Tony. Every night, after work, I go home and all I can think about is you. How you make me laugh, make me smile, piss me off. Everything about you, Tony, is what I want. What I need."

She did not know why she was saying this, especially now when he could not hear her. She told herself that first she needed to convince herself that she had feelings for Tony. Not that she needed convincing, because she knows how she feels about him, but rather tell herself that taking the next step was the right step to take.

"Whenever I have something good happen, you are the first person I tell. You are the person that I trust with my life, Tony. I do not know where I would be, or what I would be if I did not have you with me.

Just then a small knock came at the door. Ziva looked at the clock, 2100h. Where did time go?


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: ..they are not mine.**

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Abby entered the room. She brought a change of clothes, a toothbrush, brush, some deodorant, a small pillow and blanket, and a few books with her for Ziva.

"Thank you, Abby. This is sweet."

"You're welcome. How are you holding up?"

"I am fine. I've been talking to him, but I do not think he can hear me."

"Maybe he can, you don't know that."

"Yes, well…"

"Ziva, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, Abs."

"I hope this isn't too personal, but do you love Tony?"

Ziva was taken aback by Abby's bluntness of the question.

"He is my partner, my best friend. Of course I love him."

Abby smiled, realizing that Ziva was not answering the question straight on. She pushed farther.

"No, I mean. Do you LOVE him? As in romantically?"

"I do not know, Abby. I care about him deeply. Like I said, he is my best friend. I tell him everything. He is the only person who can always see straight through me. Even though he gets on my nerves, a lot, I cannot stop thinking about him."

"Sounds like love to me. Because you know, he loves you. He might not be ready to admit it either, but the way you two look at each other, it's undeniable."

"Even if we did, there is nothing we could do about it. Gibbs has rules, remember, number 12."

"Screw the rules. I mean, Gibbs would not care as long as you kept it professional in the field and at the office. He already knows that you two love each other, he is waiting just like the rest of us for you two to finally admit it to yourselves."

"Wait, what?"

"When you left lunch earlier, the topic came up, and he said, I quote, "You honestly can't see that they clearly love each other. I'm not as blind as you think.""

"Wow. But what about the rules? Abby, I do not want to go against Gibbs. I look up to him like a father."

"Some rules are meant to be broken, Ziva. Talk to Gibbs and when Tony wakes up, talk to him, because what you two have is there, it's real, Ziva. Don't hide or run from it because we are never promised tomorrow."

With that Abby walked around and gave her friend a hug, and gave Tony a kiss on the forehead before exiting the room without speaking another word.

_Some rules are meant to be broken. Is that was she was feeling; love? Sure she has been in love before, but nothing as strong as this. She did not, could not mess this up. What if it did not work out between them? Even worse, what if Tony never woke up and she did not even get a chance._

Ziva quickly changed and curled up in the chair with the pillow and blanket Abby so kindly brought her. As she drifted off to sleep, he mind could not stop thinking about the events of the past 24 hours…

_Tony, be quiet. Take that side of the house, I've got this side. He nodded at her and crept around to the back of Alex O'Neal's house. _

_She spotted him. Alex O'Neal at the back door, shotgun in hand. "Tony, GUN. NCIS, PUT YOUR WEAPON…" shots rang out. Ziva fired back, hitting him twice. _

_Then she noticed her partner lying on the ground, with a bullet hole straight through his heart. His face was pale instantly, his breathing slowing down by the second._

_"Tony, Tony! Are you ok. Tony!"_

_She kneeled over him, applying as much pressure as she could to his wound. _

_"Stay with me, Tony. Please. You cannot die on me. Tony. I love you. Please, do not leave me."_

_She wept as she watched his eyes shut and his breathing stop. Her partner, best friend, the man that she was madly in love with, was lying under her, dead._

Ziva awoke quickly. Her breathing was heavy and she was sweating. She looked over to the man lying next to her. Still alive. He is still alive, Ziva. Get it together. She reached for his hand and did not let go as she tried to fall back asleep.

An hour later she decided that she could not fall back to sleep and decided to grab one of the books that Abby brought her and began to read, still hanging on to Tony's hand.

Time passed by and before Ziva realized it was 0900h. She had fallen asleep about 3 hours prior and woke up to the nurses changing Tony's bags.

"Is he doing any better?" Ziva asked, concerned.

"He is not getting worse, and everything looks normal. We just have to wait for him to wake up on his own. Nothing we can do."

Ziva offered a small thanks before the two nurses left.

"Please Tony, will you wake up soon. I miss your voice, your jokes, your weird movie references."

She knew asking him would not help, but it also would not hurt.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews/favorites/follows! Hope you continue to like this story! (: R &R please!**

**Dislclaimer: ...they are not mine. **

* * *

Two hours later, Gibbs came and took Ziva to a small coffee shop a block from the hospital.

"Gibbs, Abby said that you think that Tony and I are in love? Is that true?"

"Are you not?"

"I do not know. But you have rules, and I do not want to upset you. So even if I do, I will not act on my feelings."

"What about Rule #8, Ziva? Don't take anything for granted. I've seen the looks you two give each other. I am not blind. I've been in love, Ziva. It is the most amazing feeling you will ever have. Grab it and don't let go, because you never know when it will be taken away from you. Eight comes before twelve, don't that be your excuse anymore."

Ziva could not help but smile. "Thank you, Gibbs."

Ziva walked back to the hospital as Gibbs went back to interrogate Alex O'Neal, who was just released from the hospital.

"How long do you think he is going to let him just sit there?" McGee asked Abby. They were both in the observation room waiting for Gibbs to enter.

"I don't know, but Ziva should have aimed for his head. Or his chest. Not his arm and leg."

"Abby."

"What, McGee? He shot Tony! He almost killed him…"

Just then Gibbs finally entered the interrogation room, about an hour after Alex O'Neal had arrived.

"What took so long?"

Gibbs said nothing, just at back and stared at him.

"What do you want? I told you I'm not saying another word without my lawyer present."

"Fine, then just listen. We already have you for attempted murder of a federal officer and I'm pretty sure we can add murder one for the death of your brother in law, Conner. I just want to know why."

"You want to know WHY I killed Conner. That SOB was going to ruin my life. He said he was going to tell not only my wife, but my company, which I am CEO of, by the way, that I was dealing drugs. It would have ruined me. Peyton would have left me and I would have lost my job, my pension, everything. I had to stop him."

"I want to know WHY you shot my agent, O'Neal. WHY?"

"I couldn't risk anyone finding out that I killed him. I had not had time to clean up the house yet. After I killed him I took Peyton to a hotel for the night; romantic night out. I left her there sleeping this morning when I came back to clean up the mess. Conner's blood was all over the garage when your agents came, I couldn't risk your guys seeing that. I didn't mean to hurt them, just scare them away."

Abby and McGee were disgusted with this guy behind the glass in the observation room. Gibbs stood up and left without another word.

"McGee, Abby, take the rest of the week off. This case is over and I don't want you to enter this building until Monday morning. Do you both understand?"

"Yes, boss." "Yes, Gibbs."

"McGee, can we go see a movie or something? Something happy. Cause right now I am not happy."

"Yea, let's go."

Abby linked her arm in McGee's and they walked down the hallway towards the elevator.

Back at the hospital Ziva continued to switch between talking to Tony and reading her book.

"I talked to Gibbs today. He seems to think that we are in love. And Tony…I think I am. I think I love you. And I promise, soon, when you wake up, I will tell you in person. I love you…"

She heard the door open and watched as Gibbs walked in.

"I want you to go home, Ziva. Take a shower, eat something, and get some rest. O'Neal confessed to everything. The case is over. Come back first thing in the morning, if you want."

"Gibbs, why? Why did he shoot Tony?"

"He didn't clean up his mess. Didn't want the two of you going in the house and seeing blood."

"Oh."

"Ziva, I know you don't want to leave, but it is not a request. Come back in the morning. Ok?"

"Yes."

Ziva stood up and grabbed her things. She grabbed Tony's hand and moved her head close to his ear and whispered, "I'll be back in the morning, ok Tony? I meant what I said." She placed a soft kiss on his forehead, lingering more than she should with her boss in the room.

"Let's go, Ziver."

She turned off the light and shut the door behind her as she left her partner alone for the night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: ...they are not mine.**

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Ziva had a very uneventful night. She went back to her apartment, took a shower, and laid in bed. She was unable to sleep. She was afraid that she would have another nightmare and not be able to see that Tony was there, alive and with her. Instead, she went through pictures that she had just recently gotten developed. Tony said that her place need a 'homey-err' feel to it and adding pictures would be a nice touch.

She grabbed a photo of her with the entire team. Palmer was on the end next to Ducky. Then in the middle were Tony and her, followed by Gibbs, Abby, and McGee. She remembers when this photo was taken. Abby said that they needed a group photo, so she called everyone to her lab. Tony had his arm around Ziva's waist and her arm was wrapped around his. She could not help but notice how good the picture turned out and what a great group of people she was lucky to work with.

She had other pictures laying around her house too, some of her and Abby, one of her father and herself, her and Gibbs, but her favorite was the one sitting on her nightstand next to her bed.

It was a picture of herself and Tony. Abby snapped it and emailed it to her, thinking that some day she might want it.

They were in the middle of one of their bickering matches in Abby's lab, about what she could not remember, but there was a long pause in the argument, a moment when they were staring into each other's eyes and the looks on their faces were of love. The camera flash had made them snap out of their moment and forget about whatever it was they were bickering about.

Ziva sighed as she held onto the picture frame tightly. She could not stop thinking about him. _Had he heard her? Did he know that she loved him? Does he love her? What if he does not? _

She could not think about this right now. Instead she picked up her book and continued to read, taking her mind off of her partner who was still not yet awake.

Ziva went for a run at 0600h, came back to her apartment, showered, ate, and headed straight to the hospital. She arrived at 0830h and Tony was still not awake. She was the first one there.

She entered his room and kissed his cheek. She hoped that he could feel her. Know that she was there. She hoped her voice was helping him, but she did not know.

She placed her hand in his.

"Do you remember the time we were in Abby's lab bickering and she took a picture of us? Do you remember what we were bickering about? I cannot remember. But I love that picture. I have it by my bedside every night. I am always thinking about you, Tony. I could not admit it before, but I love you so much. More than I have ever loved anyone."

She brought her lips to his hand and held them there for a while.

All of a sudden she felt his hand move in hers. He squeezed her hand lightly, letting her know that he knew she was there.

"NURSE!"

The nurse came running in. "Yes, ma'am. What is it?"

"He squeezed my hand. I think he is waking up."

The nurses checked on him, did a few tests, and took the breathing tube out of his mouth because he was indeed waking up and was breathing on his own.

"Tony, I'm right here. Open your eyes for me. See that I am right here."

The nurses were on the other side of the bed, watching his responses from afar.

Tony did open his eyes slightly at the sound of his partner's voice.

As he gained strength he opened them farther, blinking a few times.

"Tony!" Ziva placed a kiss on his check and he smiled slightly,

"Z—iva."

"Yes, Tony. I am here. I am so glad you woke up." Ziva said as she let out tears of joy. He was awake, alive and awake!

He squeezed her hand again. After one last check, the nurses left. Now it was just the two of them.

"Hey."

"Hi. I am so glad to hear your voice again, Tony."

"Are you ok? What happened?"

"I am fine, Tony. Thank you. But you…you were shot in the chest when we went to Alex O'Neal's house to ask him a few questions about our dead Marine."

"Oh…yea."

"You were in surgery for hours, flat lined twice, before they had to medically induce a coma. We were all so scared Tony. We did not know if you were going to make it."

"I'm glad I did."

"Me too."

The nurse entered again, "We will be moving Agent DiNozzo into a regular room this afternoon now that he is out of a coma."

"Thank you, ma'am."

She smiled and left the room.

"So, did you hear anything that any of us said when you were in a coma?" Ziva asked, nervously. She did not want to have the conversation right there in the hospital, but she needed to know where he was.

"Some." He simply stated.

"Enough?"

"Enough to know that we need to talk."

She sighed. "Yes, but not here. Ok? When you get better and you get out of here. Then we can talk, yes?"

"Ok."

"I am so glad you are ok, Tony."

"Come here."

"What?"

"Move closer."

She was hesitant, but did as she was asked.

Tony placed a soft kiss to her cheek, making her blush.

"Ziva David, did I just make you blush?"

"Shut up, Tony." But she could not hide the smile that had invaded her face.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: ...they are not mine.**

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Ziva called the team as soon as he was moved into a regular room, allowing them all to visit him at once.

About a half hour later, Gibbs arrived with Anthony DiNozzo, Senior. Ziva was now sitting by the window of Tony's new room.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Tony was surprised to see his father in his room.

"Well hello to you too, son."

"I'm sorry, I just thought that you were suppose to be in Europe."

"My son was shot in the chest, you honestly don't think that I would not come back to see him?"

"Sorry, dad. My mistake. I'm glad you're here."

"Tony!" Abby said as she and McGee arrived to his room.

"Abby!" She ran over to give him a gentle hug, acknowledging that his chest was still bandaged up.

"Glad to see you're ok, Tony."

"Thanks, Probie. So, did you all solve the case without me?"

"We did. The guy that shot you was our killer; didn't want you and David to see his mess. He's a slow cleaner."

"Wow…"

"When do you get out of here, son?"

"Hopefully in a couple days."

"You will not be able to be alone though when you get released, right? At least for the first few days."

"Probably."

"He can come home with me, yes? Tony?" Ziva asked.

"I would like that." Both Ziva and Tony smiled.

The team and DiNozzo, Senior stayed for a while, talking, laughing, and telling stories. As the clock hit 2000h, everyone left, leaving only Ziva and Tony.

"Go home, Ziva. Get some sleep. I'm fine." Tony grabbed a hold of Ziva's hand, squeezing it gently.

"What if I do not want to leave, Tony? What if I want to stay here, with you?"

"Ziva, you need to get some sleep. I'm here, awake, alive. Nothing will change overnight, ok?"

"Fine, Tony."

She stood up to leave but Tony tugged at her hand, pulling her closer to him. He brought her face towards her and pressed a kiss to her cheek, right by the edge of her lips.

"Goodnight, Ziva."

"Goodnight, Tony. I will see you tomorrow morning."

Tony then let go of her hand and they smiled at each other before Ziva left for the night.

Ziva tossed and turned all night, falling in and out of sleep. She could not keep her mind from wandering to the day that Tony was shot. She knew he was ok, awake and alive only a few miles from her apartment in a safe and secure hospital, but that did not keep her mind from wandering. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to be able to wake up and see that he was there, with her, not going anywhere.

She got up around 0500h, ran, showered, and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading to the hospital. Tony was still sleeping when she arrived at 0800h. She sat in the chair and read her book that she had brought with her. She dozed off. She was awaken when something warm grabbed her hand.

"Good morning, sleepy head."

"Good morning, Tony. Did you sleep well?"

"I slept ok? Did you get any sleep last night? What time did you get here this morning?"

"I got….some sleep. And I have been here for two hours now. The team is on there way in. Gibbs would not allow anyone to work for the rest of the week."

The following day went much like the first, except DiNozzo, Senior flew back to Europe. Seeing that his son was ok, he saw no need in staying around any longer.

They hung around all day. Abby brought some board games so they would not get bored.

Tony's chest was feeling better than he expected it too. Especially since he had been shot only a few days ago and woke up from a coma about 24 hours before.

The day passed quickly. Tony was told that he would be able to go home the following morning, but would need someone with him for at least a week, maybe longer.

As night approached they all said goodbye. Ziva left along with the others, only after giving Tony a kiss to the forehead and a promise that she would be back first thing in the morning to help him go home.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Final Chapter! Thank you all for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it! Let me know what you think :) R&R!**

**Disclaimer: ...they are not mine.**

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She came and sat next to him on the couch. Close enough so that their thighs were touching.

"What would you like to talk about?" Ziva asked quietly.

"I don't know. How about at the beginning?"

"Phone sex? That was a long time ago, Tony." She let out a small laugh.

Tony smiled. "How about we start beginning with this past week."

"Ok. I was scared. Scared that you would not make it, Tony. More scared than I have been before." Ziva let a few tears fall down her face. Tony placed one hand in hers and the other gently on her cheek, wiping the tears from her face.

"When I saw you bleeding, I tried to stop it. I rode with you to the hospital. And then you went into surgery for hours. And the nurses would not tell me anything. I was not sure you were still alive…"

"But I am, I'm here."

"I know, now. But I do not know what I would do without you, Tony."

"Don't think that way, Ziva. I'm here, alive." He squeezed her hand as she continued to let silent tears falls.

"Then you were in a coma for a couple days. I stayed with you, you know. Every moment that I could. Gibbs made me go home one night. I slept for about an hour before I had a nightmare that you were dead. I woke up crying and could not sleep after that."

"I'm so sorry, Zi."

"For what? It is my fault. I knew something was off at that house. We should have called Gibbs and waited for back up. Then you might not have been shot at."

"Ziva David, none of this is your fault. Understand? You are the one that saved me. When I was in a coma, I could sometimes hear your voice. It helped me. It made me want to wake up as fast as my body would let me."

There was a moment of comfortable silence while they simply stared into each other's eyes.

Tony broke the silence. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"When you said you loved me. Did you mean it? Or were you just scared?"

"I would not have said it if I did not mean it, Tony. Yes, I love you….do you love me?"

Tony grabbed her face and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft, but full of passion; full of love.

"Yes, Ziva. So much. I love you so, so very much." He continued to press soft kisses into her skin and on her lips.

"What about Gibbs? You talked to him?"

"Yes. He told me that some rules trump others and in this case Rule #8 trumps Rule #12."

"Never take anything for granted."

"Exactly. I am tied of pretending that this is nothing." She leaned in and kissed him once again.

"So what do we do now?"

"What do you want to do, Tony?"

"We could move this to the bedroom." He had a big grin on his face.

"As much as I would love that right now, and I would really, really love that, but you are in no condition for that." Ziva said as she pointed out the bandage across his chest.

"Oh, yea. I almost forgot." Tony was disappointed.

"I have an idea. How about I help you change that bandage and then we can watch that Salt you were talking about, yes?"

"You have it?!" Tony perked up!

"I may have rented it."

Tony placed a quick kiss on her lips and quickly took off his shirt. Ziva smiled and laughed.

"What? Like what you see, Ziva?"

She placed a small kiss to his chest, above the bandage. "Yes."

After his bandage was changed, he quickly changed into a new shirt and some pajama pants, took his pain medications and joined Ziva who was already on the couch. He sat right up next to her. She had already put the movie in and as she pushed play, she placed her head on the good side of his chest. He kissed her once again, placed his hand around her pulling her even closer and got comfortable.

"Ready to be amazed?" She just laughed at him.

About halfway through the movie Tony had fallen asleep. Ziva giggled and pressed her lips to his cheek and whispered, "I love you, Tony." She rested her head back on his chest as he whispered back, "I love you too, Ziva." She closed her eyes and fell asleep, sleeping peacefully through the night for the first time in days.

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**END.**


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